Konstantin

One

Konstantin

"I know you've waited a long time, Konstantin.

Tomorrow, you shall meet her.

Tucked away in a small corner, almost hidden out of eyesight.

Your men will try to obstruct you from her.

But do not fret, because the pull towards her will be impossible to ignore.

And when you find her, she will be surrounded in red.

But whether that red is from the roses she is selling,

or from the blood that your men help you spill,

is determined by you.

Therefore, I urge you to reconsider your attack, Konstantin.

I believe that you have no desire to have her blood on your hands."

Konstantin woke up with a start.

This wasn't the first time the Moon Goddess had sent him a dream. It was the exact same dream, with the exact same words, sent to him the night before every battle he planned on fighting. The first time Konstantin had received it, he was still naive enough to believe the Goddess' empty words. He had called off his attack on a neighbouring pack, which would've allowed him to take over their land and gain access to their vast forests. He had told his men to withdraw, and instead peacefully gained permission to survey the pack, looking for the pull that the Goddess spoke of, looking for the one who'd have his heart.

He came home empty handed.

And a few days later, the neighbouring pack was invaded by another pack and he had lost his chance to expand. It was double the loss for him.

The second time it happened, Konstantin was unsure of the sincerity of the dream. But his yearning for her pushed him to call off another attack.

He came home empty handed, again.

The third time? It wasn't a charm. His heart was still void, his trust in the Goddess crumbling. He had started to believe that this was simply a trick from the Goddess to suppress his animalistic ways, to stop him from destroying and taking over territories.

From then, he ignored the dreams the Goddess sends him. Before every attack, he'd hear the Goddess say the same words, but he'd ignore her. And in every battle he fought, he had never felt the pull. His heart remained empty, void of emotions.

"It's all a lie," Konstantin forced himself to believe. Those four words had become a chant for him before every battle. It was his way of assuring himself that she didn't exist, that she wouldn't be in any of the lands he destroys, but most importantly - that she wouldn't be hurt by his actions.

"It's all a lie, it's all a lie, it's all a lie," he repeated. But he couldn't push down the foreign feeling in his chest, nagging at his subconscious. He had never felt like this before an attack. He had never felt such a pull. It was as though a rope had tied itself around his heart while he was sleeping and now it was pulling him towards something, towards someone.

"No!" he growled. He wouldn't fall for the Goddess' tricks. He refused to. "She doesn't exist. It's all a lie."

He rubbed his chest as he got up, trying to ease the discomfort. But as he made his way towards his wardrobe to start getting ready for battle, the feeling in his chest only intensified.

❀ ❀ ❀

"Alpha, the warriors are ready to leave," informed Konstantin's second in command.

"Good. We will leave in a few minutes time," he grunted.